The Minnesota Vikings trimmed their roster to the NFL-mandated 53 players on Tuesday, but that doesn’t end the process of building a team.
With the other 31 teams also cutting players, there is opportunity to pick up talented pieces who can help win games in 2024.
Here are five free agents for the Vikings to target after cutdown day.
5 Free Agents for the Vikings After Cutdown Day
D’Onta Foreman, Running Back
The Vikings would have to move swiftly and decisively on this one because most expect the Cleveland Browns to bring D’Onta Foreman back. As of now, though, Foreman is the best back on the market and would be the Vikings’ best bet to back up Aaron Jones.
Foreman has made the rounds in the NFL, having spent time with seven different teams over eight seasons. But don’t let that paint the wrong picture about this bruising runner.
Foreman has 2,326 rushing yards on fewer than 600 carries, giving him a per-attempt average of 4.2 yards to go along with 17 career touchdowns.
With only two lost fumbles to his name to go along with that production, there’s little doubt Foreman would be a superior option as a No. 2 back to Jones when compared to Ty Chandler, who is currently listed as Jones’ backup in Minnesota.
Jody Fortson, Tight End
Jody Fortson is already a three-time Super Bowl winner as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs organization, and he signed this past offseason with a franchise looking to be the one to dethrone Kansas City in the AFC: the Miami Dolphins.
It didn’t work out for Fortson in Miami, though, and now he’s looking for a new team.
The Vikings feel good about their tight end group, but their starter will open the season on the PUP list. T.J. Hockenson injured his knee on Dec. 24 last year and is still working his way back into playing form.
So while head coach Kevin O’Connell has been effusive in his praise of young tight ends Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse, as well as veteran Josh Oliver, there is a case to be made to add another to the mix while Hockenson battles his way back into action.
Zach Cunningham, Linebacker
Ideally, the depth chart is filled with young, promising players who have untapped potential. But every now and then, a crafty veteran can provide the right kind of chemistry to help create the perfect roster.
That is the angle one would take in advocating for the Vikings to take a look at Zach Cunningham.
A veteran of seven seasons with Houston, Philadelphia, and Tennessee, Cunningham knows how to patrol a defense. He led the NFL in tackles in 2020 and also has 23 pass breakups and five forced fumbles to his credit.
Brian Flores’ defense received a boost in free agency with the addition of Blake Cashman to start alongside Ivan Pace, Jr., who went undrafted in 2023 but became the darling of Vikings training camp before ascending to a starting role.
Cashman and Pace should be able to hold down the fort as starters. In football, though, you’re always one play away from needing help.
Getting Cunningham into the building now would provide Flores and Co. with a great insurance option in the event Cashman or Pace sustain an injury or falter in their performance.
Lawrence Guy, Defensive Lineman
If Flores isn’t completely satisfied with Minnesota’s interior defensive line heading into 2024, he can lobby the front office to consider a player from his days with the New England Patriots.
At 6’4″, 315 pounds, and with experience playing for five other teams, Lawrence Guy has the build and pedigree to become a key reserve for the Vikings’ defensive line.
Guy can play both the 3-technique and 5-technique in Flores’ scheme, a valuable role for any defense but especially for Minnesota, given its trouble along the interior in recent seasons.
Guy is no young pup. But again, sometimes a veteran presence is a great compliment to a youth movement.
Guy is a Super Bowl winner, a member of the Patriots’ All-2010s Team, and a reliable, tough, and versatile interior player whom Flores can trust.
P.J. Mustipher, Defensive Tackle
If the Vikings’ front office prefers a young player over a veteran when looking to fortify the interior of the defensive line, they should look no further than to the Philadelphia Eagles castoffs. One of the best is defensive tackle P.J. Mustipher.
Undrafted coming out of Penn State in 2023, Mustipher spent time with the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints before signing with the Eagles this past March. He had an impressive offseason and training camp in Philadelphia, but with two recent first-round picks in Jalen Carter (2023) and Jordan Davis (2022) atop the depth chart, it was a hard group to crack.
The 6’4″, 318-pound Mustipher is a developmental, two-gapping defensive tackle who would give the Vikings some bulk and brute force against the run.